To Heal A Spark
by TaintedTamer
Summary: Sometimes all it takes is a kind friend to realize you aren't as useless as you thought. Eventual SwoopxFirst Aid, warning for violence, mechxmech, and eventual sticky
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't easy to be an apprentice – especially to a mech that viewed you so highly and always expected you to catch onto whatever he was explaining without help. Spark-aching was an understatement when he would manage to screw something up and the larger ambulance would scowl and have to correct him. Or if he accidentally knocked something over…that was pretty embarrassing as well since it was such a stupid thing to do – and it hadn't exactly helped that it had been a stack of data pads either that had [i]just[/i] been neatly ordered.

No, it wasn't easy at all to be training at something Ratchet had known for practically his whole life – healing others was what Ratchet was born to do and he was slagging good at it. He was a miracle worker and it was under his hands that all of the Autobots within the Ark's walls placed their bodies, their sparks, their lives…

Yet he was supposed to be Ratchet's 'second in command' so to say, ready to take over for the CMO when the dreadful day finally came and Primus collected the mech to join the well of sparks…that thought alone made his tank lurch.

He wasn't Ratchet.

He couldn't heal any mech, couldn't pull them from the brink of death, couldn't run out into a battle to help his comrades as gunfire rained down all around…that wasn't him and it never would be him. No matter what Ratchet would teach him or show him, he would never know as much as his mentor and he would never be able to replace him.

The white mech drooped faintly, fingers idly tracing the material of the untouched energon cube sitting before him on the table's surface. What would happen once Ratchet did die? Optimus really wouldn't make [i]him[/i] Chief Medical Officer, would he? Maybe they would get another medic…from Cybertron – that would work. He could just apprentice under him then. His blue visor dimmed, lips forming a frown beneath the white mask that hid away the entire lower half of his face from the rest of the world.

It still wouldn't be the same. And he doubted Cybertron could spare a medic…

"Hello! Earth to First Aid, come in First Aid!"

The young mech jumped in his seat, visor flickering in surprise and he fumbled rather quickly to stabilize the energon cube he had been partially holding, barely preventing it from spilling all over himself. His gaze snapped up to the mech that had disturbed his thoughts and Blades grinned happily.

"Hot Spot was calling you Aid – you alright? You were totally zoned out bro…"

First Aid sat up a little in his chair, trying to relax a bit, though he doubted that would help – Blades always had a knack for peeking in on him through the bond he and the other Protectobots all shared…

"F-Fine, just got lost in thoughts, that's all."

"Well, now your un-lost, so come on. There's a flood hazard in town that we need to take care of and we need you."

The helicopter gestured for the other to follow and First Aid glanced at his full cube with a longing frown. He should just down it and –

"Aid!"

"Coming!" First Aid abandoned his energon, ignoring the grumble of complaint from his tank that answered the action. He would get some energon once he got back, no big deal. Besides, it had been a rather quiet week due to lack of Decepticon attacks…worrying and relieving, though this little assignment would hopefully calm him a bit. At least with his brothers he always felt needed…and if he ever needed help, they were right there without hesitation.

The ambulance followed his taller sibling out of the rec. room, Blades leading the way to the entrance and glancing back at him with a brightening of his blue visor,

"Its about time we get some action! Come on, the others just left – we'll be able to catch up with them without problem." He said and First Aid nodded. Hopefully this situation wasn't too bad – otherwise he'd be busy transporting humans all night to the hospital and that was never a good time.

[b]~*~*~*~*~[/b]

The river had overflowed, the heavy rains that had been cursing the area having been far too much for the river-bed to contain as it now decided to empty it contents into the town. The main road had been washed out, making it impossible for any regular vehicles to get in and out – though to make matters worse, the threat of everyone drowning in their own homes was a very really worry as the weather only worsened.

Hot Spot was helping to move the sand bags, building the wall up tall as Groove and Streetwise tried to round up all of the townspeople into the school to keep them safe while they worked…though there were several human males assisting them in building their wall – not that they were too much help, but the Protectobots did appreciate their efforts.

He shivered in the rain, frowning as he glanced up at the black clouds that hung in the sky heavily, lightening streaking across the sky and lighting up the area eerily…First Aid glanced back down as he felt icy water suddenly touch his pedes and he felt a flare of panic to see water sloshing in as some of the sandbags were pushed over by the force of the river.

"Slag!" First Aid cursed, setting the sandbag he had just picked up down to move and repair the damage in the wall and Streetwise was suddenly there beside him without warning, mud caking his brother's legs and sides just as stubbornly as it clung to his own armor.

"Aid, secure the bottom bags! I'll fix the top ones, just keep the wall from coming down completely!" the Nissan ordered and First Aid answered in a nod, kneeling into the mud and plunging his hands down into the water to keep the bags stable. He almost forgot what it felt like the be clean, mud and dirty water slipping into the seams of his armor to chill his circuits and gum his gears…another rush of water hit the wall and both mechs gave a curse when water crashed over them along with the ever-falling rain.

Streetwise growled in irritation, quickly sending their leader a message through the bond, [i]'H-Hot Spot! We need help down here or this whole section of wall is gonna come down!'[/i]

[i]'Hold on, Blades is coming to assist you.'[/i]

"Hold on – pfft, easy for him to say!" the police-car snapped and First Aid quivered as he kept knelt down, visor dimming.

"Like we have a choice Street…"

"I know, but if Blades doesn't hurry, we're going to be the ones needing rescued!"

The white mechs gave shouts when they were again drenched to the core in river water, Streetwise stumbling back from the force of it before quickly regaining his position to support what was left of the crumbling wall. "Blades! Fragger, what's taking you so long!?" Streetwise shouted after spitting out water, coughing as he pressed his form against the sandbags, trying to keep them up. If this section of wall went down, the rest of the wall wouldn't last long after and then their efforts would be for nothing.

A sudden pulse through their bond greeted them before Blades stepped up in between them to help, smiling despite the current situation.

"Hey bros, sorry – can't fly in this weather, so I had to walk!"

"Great, now grab sandbags and help! We gotta rebuild the wall!" the Nissan snapped, obviously not in the mood for their brother's optimistic attitude and the helicopter nodded before moving to gather up several of the heavy bags. Soon, First Aid was able to stand as they placed another row of sandbags up to support the first three and the ambulance felt relief when they had a sturdy wall built up to keep the river from flooding the town.

Streetwise turned to them, "Alright, now we head down with Hotspot and Groove – we need to keep up patrols of the wall to make sure it doesn't come down. Blades, can you call Optimus and tell him we've got things under control?"

A nod answered the mech, Blades smiling as he tried fruitlessly to rid his hands of mud, "Yeah, not a problem."

First Aid's attention shifted from his brothers, listening to the roar of the wind, the hiss of the falling rain, and the constant crash of waves of water as it went along the bulging river…yet something caught his audial over it all and the young Protectobot stiffened, visor brightening.

Crying?

He turned, gaze shifting around the dark buildings, street lamps giving some light to the area…though he didn't see anyone. The sound continued however and his gaze turned to the wall they had constructed to realize the crying wasn't coming from in town. Was someone trapped out there? But how – Streetwise and Groove had gotten everyone and there was no report of a missing person…

A touch to his shoulder barely pulled his attention away from the wall, Streetwise frowning.

"Hey, come on First Aid, we need to get back with the others." He said, Blades waiting a few steps ahead of them and the medic looked to them with confusion.

"Don't you guys hear that?"

His 'older' brothers frowned, pausing to listen and Blades shook his helm.

"All I hear is rain, wind, and the river…" the helicopter said and Streetwise nodded in agreement.

"Yeah Aid, come on."

"B-But I thought I heard someone…"

The police-car raised an optic ridge, "What? But everyone is down in the school gym Aid – I took them there myself. Everyone is safe."

First Aid glanced back at the bulky wall they had created, trying to listen again for the sound…though he found he couldn't hear anything now and the ambulance gave a sigh.

"Guess I'm just hearing things…" he said sadly and Blades shrugged, "Its been a long night – but come on, Hot Spot and Groove are waiting for us."

They started walking, the water just barely over their feet, though it was enough to make the walk rather irritating…yet First Aid came to an abrupt halt when a cry reached his audial. He whipped around, visor bright in the dark of the rainy night. That definitely wasn't his imagination, someone was calling for help.

The sound of splashing caught their attention and the two mechs turned just in time to see First Aid running in the other direction, surprise flickering across their features almost simultaneously.

"First Aid!" Streetwise shouted, though the ambulance kept going, running along the wall as he strained his audio to track that sound and only that sound. He would explain later – but if someone was trapped on the other side of the wall, they were in danger and he wasn't going to just stand by and let a life be lost to the river.

Though a problem arose as he slowed a bit, having tracked the yelling to this area.

How was he going to get over the wall? There was no way he was going to break it down…but maybe there was an opening somewhere – after all, they couldn't build the wall around the entire town, that was impossible. Or so he hoped as he started running once more, mentally trying to remember exactly where they had started building the wall. It took more time than he liked to finally find the dip in the road that was assisting in draining the water and he quickly slid down into it and moved along it until he found himself around the very beginning of the sandbag wall.

Instantly First Aid found himself being forced along with the current of pounding, rushing water and he gasped a bit as his frame was chilled painfully. The river came up past his waist and his feet couldn't find hold on the loose and wet 'floor' as the waves of water pulled at his legs.

"Hello! Is anyone out here?!" First Aid shouted as he struggled to get to the edge of the madness, fearing he might end up being pulled down into the dark rush of water…

"Help!"

He perked up, moving forward and reaching out for the branch of a tree as he was forced to fire on his night-vision to search for the owner of the strained voice. His fingers found purchase on the soaked bark of a tree and the once white mech managed to pull himself from the water onto land and First Aid quickly looked around.

"I'm here to help you, keep yelling!" the Autobot cried out over the thunder. It was hard to keep track of the voice, though as he moved along the bed of the river he began to realize it belonged to a young human – very young from the almost shrillness of the crying and shouting. He stumbled when the ground underneath his foot was ripped away by the river, shouting and falling rather roughly into the water once more…though as he gripped desperately to the dirt and grass, his gaze locked onto a large tree not to far ahead. It had been pulled into the river as the ground it was rooted in was lost to the waters, its form mangled now as a few roots were left to hold it to where it had bloomed to life…though his optics fell onto the small form that seemed tangled in what remained of its branches.

A small, soaked and filthy girl was sobbing fearfully, shivering as she held onto the branches for dear life and First Aid stiffened.

"H-Hang on! I'm coming!" he called, hoping she could hear him and he hesitated before he released the Earth he had dug his digits into, allowing the rush of water to pull him down. He panicked when he was submerged fully for a moment, grasping frantically for something – and he gave a gasp, coughing as he broke the surface and rather painfully hit into the tree. It gave a groan of effort, shifting as the roots holding it loosened and the girl gave a frightened cry as First Aid clung to the trunk for hold.

He looked to her, coughing to try and get water out of his intakes, "Its alright! I'm here to help you – I'm going to get you out of here!" the Protectobot explained, though that didn't seem to calm the little girl at all as she continued crying harshly. First Aid resisted the pull of water, carefully moving himself along the tree until he was close enough to reach out for the child – a horrible shudder went through the tree and suddenly it came loose from what little ground it was clinging onto, the entire thing shifting and moving erratically. A scream left the little girl as she lost her grip and First Aid lunged forward to catch her.

His large fingers wrapped securely around the young human as he fell back into the water, instantly fighting to surface and keep his hand up out of the raging river. All he cared about right now was protecting this little girl and he would be fragged if he let her drowned now that he had her in his hold.

[i]'H-Hot Spot! I need help!'[/i] First Aid cried out through the bond, struggling desperately now as he felt fear and panic claiming his systems as he fought to try and grab onto something as well as keep himself and the child from drowning. Though the threat of that was more towards the girl, his systems filling with water would eventually 'drowned' him as well in a way and that definitely wasn't something he wanted to go through.

[i]'I'm coming!'[/i]

The mech barely acknowledge the voice of his brother as a sudden mess of dizziness claimed him as he was plunged under the water by the force of the water, unable to tell what was up and down for a sickening moment. First Aid tried to keep his vents shut, tried to keep the water out of his systems, though it was a loosing battle and the water only weighed him down, making it harder for him to move and fight the current.

Fear for the life of the child he now literally held in his hands made itself known – what if he crushed her? Or held her under by accident? All thought however came to a screaming halt when he roughly hit into some rocks and his instinct told him to hang on. With his free arm he grabbed onto the jagged rock that jutted up from the river, coughing and whining for air to cleanse his vents as he faintly managed to pull himself up onto the rough surface.

Opening his hand, he saw the girl shivering in his hold and very much alive as she cried softly, holding onto his thumb rather tightly. "I-Its alright, we'll get out of here soon, kay?" First Aid said, trying to comfort her, though the circumstances weren't really the best he had to admit…

His gaze was caught by movement on the bank and he felt his spark leap to see a blue fire truck tailed by a police car and motorcycle.

"G-Guys!" First Aid shouted, voice crackling from the volume he used – though his vision was suddenly lost as a vicious wave of water came crashing down over him. It was strong enough to pull him right from the rocks he had been gripping and the ambulance began flailing in the water to try and regain his grip before an awful pain stabbed through him and everything slowly went black.

[b]~*~*~*~*~[/b]

[i]"He'll be alright, but its taking time to get the water out of his systems. All of you head back to your quarters and I'll contact you when I feel like it."

"But Ratch – "

"Now! Primus, he needs rest and then you can all see him tomorrow – now get out of my medbay before I give you dents that put First Aid's to shame!"[/i]

The sound of rapid footsteps was what brought the young mech out of stasis, an awful heavy feeling on his frame…though his helm hurt like slag – and his visor was cracked from what his readings said as his optics slowly powered on. His system came on rather sluggishly and a groan left his vocalizer without his permission.

A gentle touch on his arm had his gaze shifting and his broken visor flickered to see Wheeljack leaning over him.

"Hey, welcome back Aid – kinda worried about you, you took some rather decent damage." The mech said, the blue of his ear panels rather hurting the Protectobot's optics.

Confusion cluttered his processor and First Aid frowned.

"D-Damage?"

The inventor nodded a little, optics dimming, "Yeah, your brothers managed to pull you out of the river though – you got some nasty dents from getting banged around on the rocks, but Ratch and I'll will buff 'em out and fix you up good as new."

"Hmph." Ratchet vocalized, optics narrowing as he got tools ready and First Aid looked back to the Lancia before something struck him and he jolted to sit up.

"T-The girl! What about her, is she alright?!" he asked, ignoring the horrible nausea that claimed him from sitting up, though he was laying back on the repair berth within a moment, Wheeljack's hands firmly yet gently on his chest.

"Yes, yes – the child is fine, Groove returned her to her parents. It appears they thought she was with another family…" the engineer answered and First Aid relaxed. He would've never forgiven himself if the little human had died…

Ratchet shook his helm, "That was an idiotic thing to do First Aid. Run off without telling your brothers what your doing and then get caught in the river to help a human child?! Your processor must be glitching…"

The medic drooped a little, though Wheeljack chuckled, "Well, it was stupid, but brave. First Aid is a true Autobot."

"Sadly…" the CMO replied as he glanced faintly at Wheeljack, the inventor's optics crinkling softly to show he was smiling beneath his mask. The elder ambulance only sighed and turned his gaze to First Aid and finally gave him a small smile, "I'm going to put you back into stasis, though you'll be fine when you wake tomorrow. Hopefully you've learned a lesson from tonight Aid…" Ratchet said and the Protectobot gave a small nod.

"I did Ratchet…and thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you both…"

"No worries! Now rest, relax, recharge – you need it if you want to be out of here by tomorrow." Wheeljack interjected with a twitch of his wings.

Movement behind him made him stiffen, though the red fingers of Ratchet at the back of his helm had him relaxing a little before he felt the nimble digits gently press and he felt stasis coming over him gently.


	2. Chapter 2

When he awoke, he felt…exhausted. The thought of energon made his tank grumble embarrassingly and he was rather sure everyone in the medbay heard it. Though as First Aid came fully out of stasis and his systems fired on, he realized there wasn't anyone in the medbay to hear it.

The medic sat up slowly, touching his helm as his visor brightened fully and he glanced around. No one was an understatement – not even Ratchet was in sight and he frowned as he shifted on his repair berth.

Where was everyone?

First Aid did a self-scan, making sure everything was alright before he slowly and carefully got off the berth, still aching, though feeling quite a bit better.

"Hello?" he called out, visor dimming as he felt a rather uneasy feeling settle over him. His voice echoed in the orange medbay, not even the equipment seeming that loud now…

"Oh, you wake!"

He bit back the squeak of surprise, turning quickly – apparently [i]too[/i] quickly as he suddenly lost balance and stumbled only to fall to the ground rather awkwardly.

"Ow…" First Aid muttered, sitting up and a very large somebody knelt down beside him, hands easily wrapping around his arms to assist him, though despite his size he was bizarrely gentle.

"Me Swoop sorry, not mean scare you First Aid!" the pterodactyl apologized, optics bright in worry as he helped the smaller mech back to his feet and the ambulance waved it off.

"Its alright Swoop, no need to apologize…you just surprised me. I didn't know if anyone was here…" the medic said, rubbing his side a bit as he now had even newer aching parts. Swoop frowned softly, though nodded,

"No one else here – just me Swoop and you First Aid. Him Ratchet go help, Decepticon attack and everyone go."

First Aid stiffened a bit, "Decepticon attack? Did my brothers go?" he asked, gently pulling away from the mech and earning a small nod.

"Brothers go help, though him Ratchet say you stay. First Aid still hurt, need time heal he say."

His visor dimmed, worried for his brothers – though they would call him if they really needed him. Or so he hoped, he would hate if they got hurt just because he wasn't there to allow them to form Defensor…

First Aid glanced up at Swoop as he noticed the mech looking at him curiously and he frowned, "So…what are you doing here? I thought you were with your brothers training?" he asked and the mech smiled.

"We come back – Ratchet say good timing since need help in medbay, so me Swoop help. Brothers all sleep, they tired from training."

The mech's way of speaking always hurt his processor a bit…though, compared the pterodactyl's brothers, Swoop was [i]a lot[/i] easier to communicate with. That and First Aid wasn't scared that the pterodactyl would crush him if he said something he didn't like.

"Well, welcome back. It'll be nice to have another apprentice in the medbay, Ratchets been kinda aiming all of his 'life' lessons at me of late…" First Aid said and Swoop gave a chirrup that resembled a chuckle.

"Thank you, me Swoop happy be back. Miss Autobots – miss berth too, though me also miss you First Aid." The mech said before softly gesturing back to the repair berth, "You back on berth, me Swoop get energon, make you First Aid feel better."

The Protectobot nodded softly, "Right, thanks Swoop." He replied as he carefully moved and pulled himself back up onto the repair berth. A bit light-headed as the humans said, though he felt rather fine and his attention shifted as he watched the larger mech come back over with a glowing cube of energon. Swoop offered it to him and First Aid gladly took it…though he glanced a bit up at Swoop when the mech only stood there.

"Um…" First Aid began, a bit nervous about taking his mask off and the Dinobot blinked before smiling and taking a step back, "Oh, me Swoop sorry – forget you not like others see face."

"That's alright, you've been gone for a while." First Aid said, though Swoop still didn't move farther back, instead looking at him curiously before speaking.

"Can me Swoop see? No one else here and it just us, no one else see – and me Swoop not tell."

First Aid's visor flickered in surprise as he heard the flyer, nervously fidgeting with his cube. "W-Well, I don't really like others seeing…I guess I kinda picked up that little trait from Wheeljack…" he said and gave a small sound when Swoop suddenly moved closer.

"Please? Me Swoop good keep secret, not tell! Promise and cross heart."

He squirmed faintly in his seat on the berth, setting his cube beside him as he glanced around the medbay. Well, Swoop was right, no one else was here obviously. And Swoop was a…friend of his, they had worked together on several occasions and he could honestly say he trusted the Dinobot. Though the thought of Swoop seeing his face and reacting badly made him uneasy to say the least – only his brothers were allowed to see him without his mask and that was because they really didn't care about whether he had it on or off. Would it really do any harm to let Swoop see?

"I…guess…but…" First Aid trailed off and Swoop stepped a bit closer with a smile,

"But…?"

Rubbing his helm, the young mech frowned, "You won't say anything bad?"

"No say anything bad." Swoop said with a nod and First Aid hesitated for a long moment before he reached up and brought his fingers to the edges of his mask. The clasps were in place, holding the mask securely and he quivered a little before he slowly and carefully undid them and pulled his mask free. He winced without even realizing it, lowering the mask and Swoop's optics brightened.

First Aid's gaze fell, his frown visible now as he held his mask tightly in his hands, feeling 'naked' to the world so that say.

"I-I hate not wearing my mask to tell you the truth…" the mech said, though gasped when Swoop was suddenly right in front of him and reached out with his thick fingers. He grimaced when they touched his cheek and the pterodactyl smiled softly,

"You First Aid handsome! Nice face, me thought you have scars like him Wheeljack, but you smooth! No ugly at all like rumor…" he said almost to himself and First Aid found himself blushing faintly at the close proximity of the other as he gazed at his face. Their optics locked and Swoop's smile brightened,

"Why you wear mask if not need wear? You make yellow mean 'bot jealous you look so good!"

First Aid gently reached up and took his friend's hand, pushing it down and away from his face as he frowned and shook his helm, "I-I'm not Swoop…a-and besides, I'm a medic – we aren't allowed to show emotion, so a mask is perfect since I can't really school my expression at all yet…" he sighed sadly, "And I really don't like drawing attention, so its…all just better to keep it on."

He missed the puzzled expression that crossed Swoop's features, the Dinobot raising an optic ridge curiously.

"You wear…because you look good and not want look good?" he asked, trying to make sure he had this right and First Aid gave a small shake of his head.

"No, I don't look good…" he said, though gave a sigh that rather admitted defeat. "Look, I'm fine, just…let me drink my energon, its confusing to explain…"

Swoop moved forward, leaning on the repair berth gently, "Me Swoop have lot free time, you take time explain and me listen, no problem."

First Aid blinked as his visor dimmed, watching Swoop with a frown. What was with Swoop and being so talkative today? Primus, he just woke from stasis not to long ago…and the mech was practically poking at him for attention. Though before he tried to figure out anything…

"Swoop, I'm starving…can I get some energon in my system and then…?"

Blue optics lit and Swoop smiled. "Oh! Sure, me Swoop sorry – go clean up, you drink." He said before he turned and moved towards the cabinet area and First Aid felt his frown deepen a bit as he picked up his cube.

[b]~*~*~*~*~[/b]

Thankfully, First Aid hadn't been able to explain why exactly he didn't like his face being visible – but then again, seeing his comrades come in the sorry state the Decepticons had blasted them into made his tank lurch and spark clench…

Energon dripped heavily down the nearly disconnected arm of the tactician, Prowl's optics dim as he was gently carried into the medbay by Ironhide, the red mech sporting his owns damages that he was probably only making worse by walking around to help the others. Ratchet himself had been damaged, though nothing severe and he made that quite clear when Wheeljack offered to repair him quick and snapped at the inventor to help the others. Swoop was helping as well and finally he persuaded Ratchet enough to allow himself to assist in the repairs of their comrades.

Though something heavy had settled in his spark…none of his brothers were in the medbay. That wasn't exactly a bad thing to say the least, but after a battle like this, he knew at least Streetwise had been damaged. And trying to seek out his brothers through their 'sibling' bond was near impossible – they were either out of range or blocking him.

And either choice only added to his growing worry.

It was only when he was working on Air Raid's wing now that the criticals had been smoothed out that he finally got a little of what was going on as Silverbolt came in, looking rather fatigued. He didn't even seem to notice him as he walked right towards his brother – and stopped when he finally realized First Aid was the medic working on him.

Instantly his fears were brought to life as the mech instantly quivered on the spot, looking quite tempted to turn around and totally ignore him, though Air Raid spoke up.

"Bolt! Did you find him?"

"Air Raid!"

"Find who?" First Aid questioned after Silverbolt had hissed at the smaller jet and the look Air Raid gave him made his grip tightening on the tool he had been using.

"What? You mean you…?"

The ambulance pulled his hand away from the bent wing, hidden optics narrowing behind his blue visor. "What's going on?" he asked, shifting his gaze from Aerialbot to Aerialbot and Air Raid frowned.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know he was clueless, I mean its his own br – "

"Air Raid! Mute it!"

Again, that heavy feeling only grew and First Aid frowned deeply.

"What about my brothers?! What's going on?" he asked and the hesitance in the Aerialbot leader was quite easy to pick up, blue optics dimming as they finally looked to him.

"We were told to keep quiet and to not panic everyone…you especially since Ratchet needed your and Swoop's help…" Silverbolt rubbed at his helm, gaze falling, "…Blades went missing. We can't find him anywhere – scanned the battle area in case he was brought down or was maybe hurt, but…" he gave a sad sigh and looked back at the young medic.

"I'm sorry First Aid, your brothers and the rest of mine are stilling looking along with Jazz and Hound, but we think he may have been captured by the Decepticons."

The quiver that went through his form almost [i]hurt[/i], his spark flaring as he felt a mixture of sadness and anger at the fact that everyone – even his own brothers – had kept this knowledge from him. He felt betrayed that they had blocked him from the bond, not told him that one of their brothers was missing!

"Y-You really think…?" he asked, vocals shivering and Silverbolt's optics dimmed as he gave a small nod.

"We doubt he just flew off…though I have no idea why the Decepticons would want Blades…"

Air Raid frowned, "Please, they'll take any prisoners they can – fraggers, probably using Blades for their – "

"Raid!" Silverbolt snapped, cutting the mech off and earned a narrowed gaze from his fellow aerial.

"Please, everyone who needed medical attention the most has been given it! First Aid is probably already thinking of all the things those fraggers could be doing to Blades anyway."

His form shook, optics narrowing at Air Raid's rudeness, though he was right. The thoughts running through his brother only worsened, different scenarios playing out that each made his tank lurch disturbingly within him, each making his spark clench painfully as he thought of the pain the Decepticons could be inflicting on his brother.

First Aid didn't realize he had stilled, didn't hear the voices of the two larger mechs speaking to him as his visor dimmed, their words nothing but background music – only a hand touched his shoulder, making him jump quite visibly and he whipped his gaze back to see Wheeljack's optics dim. The inventor's wings gave a soft twitch as he spoke, ear panels lighting with his words.

"You can head back to your quarters Aid, we've got this under control now."

"Jack, I – "

"Ratchet's orders." Wheeljack added and the younger mech hesitated before giving in with a small nod. It was late, he really shouldn't have even been helping at all…but now he knew he wouldn't be able to recharge soundly with the knowledge that his brother might be in the clutches of a Decepticon seeker.

The mechanic patted his shoulder gently before nodding and First Aid headed to the door, his thoughts laced with dark lines that made any optimism fade away from the medic as he left the medbay.

"Oh Blades…" First Aid said sadly, bringing a hand to his chest as he tried to reach out through the bond for the helicopter – though he received a blank emptiness in return that made him cringe inwardly.

[b]~*~*~*~*~[/b]

The rec. room was a bit loud, news pertaining to the battle spreading like wildfire through their small, family like unit. There were only three mechs that would need to stay the night in Ratchet's medbay, though it was mainly to keep them from ruining the precious work it took the CMO to stabilize them. A couple mechs had obvious recent repairs on them, the coloring over the patching a bit brighter than the rest of their frame, though most of the bots were talking about the showdown between Optimus and Megatron.

If they weren't talking about that, they were discussing what they thought had happened to the MIA Protectobot.

As if that weren't bad enough, they continued to give him sad looks and a couple mechs had come over to ask how he was feeling, if he was alright, or if he wanted some energon. Though First Aid only politely declined the offers and decided it best if he just headed back to his quarters – he really didn't want any 'comfort' from the other Autobots right now.

Even as he left he could feel the stares on him and he rather hurriedly headed down the hall towards his room…only to stop after he turned the corner. Hotspot and the others were still out, helping clean up the damage caused by the battle and searching for Blades…if he went to his room, he would be all alone. Not to mention others might wander over to the Protectobots' shared quarters to give their own sympathy.

First Aid frowned and turned the opposite direction – he wanted peace, air to vent, something to occupy his time…and when he stepped out of the Ark, his gaze shifted up towards the darkness above. Not complete darkness, the stars shimmering silently in their own beautiful way as he walked further from the entrance. Out here, he could hear the life Earth held on its surface, the crickets' chirps far more soothing than the words of the others, the chill gentler on his armor than the blue gazes filled with sympathy.

Not that he was angry that they were giving those looks, offering their comfort…but they didn't understand.

It wasn't just another 'bot missing that would be found and repaired and then things would go back to normal.

Blades was his…[i]their[/i] brother and sibling. They were bonded to the helicopter – not in the way a bond worked between lovers really, but they could feel one another. Comfort, protect, love…the feeling he had when he could rest against one of his larger brothers was beyond anything really. To have one member of their team and bond missing hurt all of them in a way the other Autobots really couldn't understand.

Well, maybe the Aerialbots could…their bond seemed to be similar to their own.

He gave a small sigh, visor dimming as he sat onto the ground beside a boulder, hoping it would hide him away from the entrance as the medic kept his gaze to the sky. First Aid really doubted he would be getting any decent recharge tonight…especially when he would finally have to go back to their room and sleep alone…

A footstep caught his attention, the crunch of gravel under a massive weight rather standing out against the chorus of crickets and First Aid turned, only for surprise to flicker across his hidden features.

"Swoop?"

The Dinobot gave a soft smile, blue optics brightening as he leaned on the boulder to look down at him.

"You First Aid okay? Me Swoop heard what happen – not good, but we get him Blades back, no worry."

First Aid frowned a bit and shifted, looking away from Swoop.

"…I'm fine…and there's a lot to worry about Swoop." He said, not really in the mood for his friend's optimism. "We have no idea if the Decepticons even have Blades or, if they do, why they captured him…f-for all we know, he could be in pain right now and – " his words were cut off by a heavy hand on his shoulder and he glanced back up to see Swoop had come around the boulder now, the pterodactyl kneeling gently beside him.

"No worry! We get him Blades back for you First Aid and them brothers. Must stay happy though, keep hope up."

The medic sighed and shifted back from the hand on him, "Swoop, really…y-you don't understand, he's my brother and he's missing. All of them are out there looking for him like I should be – but instead I'm just sitting here being useless, as usual…"

Swoop frowned as he watched the smaller 'bot before shaking his helm. "Me Swoop understand – hurt have him Blades missing, you worry, but you do better here! Hurt, need recover from damage, though you no recover if you hurt from him brother too."

First Aid glanced back up at the other, "What?"

"Hurt in here." Swoop said and he managed not to flinch when the mech reached out a massive hand and placed it on his chest, the digits curling up onto his shoulders a bit due to their size. "In spark – hurt have Blades no here. Me Swoop know, hurt when him have leave brothers on island come help him Ratchet, it ache in chest and me worry."

The ambulance shivered softly when Swoop pulled his hand away, the large fingers brushing over the armor of his chest in the process.

"No do good sit worry – do something about it." The flyer said with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Swoop's words from the night before echoed in his processor, the Protectobot frowning now as he stood in the entrance of the Ark, visor seeming to brighten as the world outside was lit by the first beams of sunlight.

He would do something about it.

He was sick of just being the one to fix up his friends and brothers after they were hurt and he refused to just sit by while his brothers searched for Blades. Even if he couldn't do much help by assisting in the search, he could sure do a pit of a lot more out there than here at the Ark. First Aid waited a moment longer, scanning himself once more to make sure he would be fine for the drive before he moved forward and folded down into his alt. mode smoothly.

With a rev of his engine, he started away from the crashed Autobot ship and off towards where the battle had taken the day earlier. That information he had easily gotten from Teletran One and it made logical sense to begin searching there for any signs of what may have happened to Blades. What he could find that Hound, there best scout, and Jazz, there saboteur and special op., couldn't…he didn't know. Yet he refused to just sit here, at least searching for clues would help calm him and give him something to do, he only hoped Ratchet wouldn't need help in the medbay today as he continued driving as the sun began to ascend into the sky.

[b]~*~*~*~*~*~[/b]

"First Aid! Hey…you alright? I know you probably miss your brothers, but…" the door to the Protectobot's quarters opened and the inventor paused in surprise to see the area was empty. Wheeljack's optics flickered, ear panels on either side of his helm giving off a brighter glow as he held the energon cube in his hands that had been meant for his youngest creation.

"...hm." Wheeljack vocalized, frowning softly before he turned and quickly headed down to the medbay, hoping to find the ambulance there.

Though his questioning of where the young medic was only brought more confusion as Ratchet folded his arms on his broad chest and shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know where he is? I thought he was in his quarters."

The Lancia shook his helm, "He isn't though. I went down to check on him since his brothers are busy helping with a fire and didn't return…but he wasn't there. And I logically thought he would be in here if he wasn't in his room."

Ratchet frowned at that, glancing around and only seeing Swoop…

"He may be in the rec. room refueling – or outside for some fresh air Jack. Stop worrying, I'm sure he's fine, he isn't foolish enough to try anything while he's still recovering from that flood incident." The CMO said, turning his attention back to the tools he had been cleaning before being interrupted.

What the two mechs didn't notice was Swoop's gaze shifting from the data pad he held to them, a soft frown crossing his features as his optics dimmed in worry.

The white and gray Autobot sighed and nodded, "Yeah, your probably right Ratch…I'll keep an optic out for him. I just hope he's not taking this business with Blades to hard…

[b]~*~*~*~*~*~[/b]

The scene where the battle took place was rather gruesome, the young medic frowning as he tried to avoid stepping in the old energon that stained the ground, oil tainting the sand in splattered remains. First Aid hated fighting, hated battling…and seeing the grounds where yet another battle had taken place was rather disturbing to him as he walked around.

He felt lost, not really knowing what to look for. He was a medic – a medic in training none the less – not a tracker like Hound.

First Aid's visor dimmed, his gaze continuing to shift about…pieces of chinked armor speckled the ground, giving some color beside black and brown, but it didn't help his thoughts. There were plenty of white fragments that could be from any of his comrades…or even a Decepticon, so he tried to ignore that.

Though the sun continued to climb higher into the sky as he searched the area, scanning every now and reaching out to try and feel Blades through the bond…

Nothing.

The medic was getting discouraged rather quickly, starting to feel foolish for driving all of the way out here and wasting time when he could be helping Ratchet in th – his thoughts suddenly stopped as he stopped beside a puddle of oil, his gaze lingering on it for a moment before he knelt down.

It was thinner than the others, a different kind of fuel maybe…helicopter fuel? His brother was definitely one for fighting and it wouldn't be a shock if he had been hurt. But as he looked around, he saw the same fuel leading away from the area, the consistency of it making it a bit easier to pick out among the darker, thicker splotches of oil.

His brother was the only one with a helicopter alt. mode and he rather doubted it was jet fuel…not that he knew what jet fuel looked like…

First Aid stood, refusing to begin doubting this find. He would follow it – if it turned out to be nothing, then so be it, but he wasn't going to regret at least [i]trying[/i] to find his brother. Transforming, the ambulance was quick to follow the faint trail of fuel that littered the ground, heading towards the rockier region of the area.

It wasn't long before he noticed the clouds that were rolling in, frowning inwardly at the thought of rain as he transformed. The fuel stopped here. Just stopped and a scan around for the same substance proved useless, there were no traces of it anywhere else except for the way he had came…he drooped.

He had been expecting this, but after having driven this distance he had at least hoped for something, [i]anything[/i] to bring back and tell the others that may help in the finding of the helicopter. First Aids glanced around, noting a few trees and dozens of rock formations, though for the most part the land dropped off far below into rocks and a river that seemed rather small up from this height.

A chill in the air managed to creep through the seams in his white and red armor, pulling a shiver from the Protectobot. Hound had probably found the trail, had probably traced it here – why hadn't he just and asked for information first? The ambulance frowned, catching the first signs of a storm as rain began to fall, tapping his armor softly as he activated a comm. link to give the information anyway…

Surprise flickered through the mech as static filled his comm. link, making him cringe and bring a hand to his helm.

"W-What? Hello? Hound?" First Aid said aloud, cringing as he lowered the volume, though it didn't help. Static filled the line and his confusion was thick before he slowly became aware of the sound of…turbines?

[b]~*~*~*~*~*~[/b]

The pterodactyl flew with a bit of difficulty, the wind not bothering him as much as the chilling rain. So much rain…it was no wonder why so many areas were calling in need of assistance to protect their towns and streets from the waters that continued to climb in the overflowing rivers.

Flapping his wings, he pushed through the down pour of rain, blue optics narrowed as he kept his gaze below. They had waited for a while for First Aid to return to base, the Dinobot having expected him to walk in shortly after Wheeljack had left…but he hadn't.

For any other mech, he wouldn't be worried, but after talking to First Aid, he began to realize his friend may have taken his words a bit too literally and had actually gone to do something about his missing comrade. Swoop had left earlier, telling Ratchet he was going to perform check-ups on his brothers while he instead took off to find the ambulance. First Aid had already had one unfortunate accident this weak and in his still recovering state, he feared he might be damaged – especially with how this storm was building.

Reaching the area where the battle had taken place, he transformed and landed on the muddy ground, frowning as he glanced around, though there was no trace that a battle had taken place as the rain cleansed the surface of the Earth.

"First Aid!" Swoop called out, taking a couple steps forward…it wouldn't be too difficult to find a white mech, even in this storm, right? Though there was no reply to his call as the rain seemed to drown out any noise, thunder rumbling loudly above and the aerial shivered faintly in the rain before transforming and taking into the air once more.

Worry clung to as stubbornly as the rain dripping from his form as he searched the area, unable to try and pick up the mech's signal due to the storm's interference and First Aid wasn't hailing his comm. at all.

Taking several trips around the area proved useless and he stretched his search out further, hoping he would be able to find the younger bot before the storm got any worse.

[b]~*~*~*~*~*~[/b]

A harsh shiver went through the mech, his armor dirtied with mud and energon, sparks dancing up across his frame as his cracked visor continued to flicker despite his want to power it off completely. He could still hear the seekers flying about outside, searching for him…and he'd be fragged if he let them find his little hiding place.

The two rocks he had managed to delve between were small and uncomfortable even for his small size, but right now it didn't matter as he listened to the Decepticon's complaining in irritation about the rain.

"He's gone! Pit, can we head back to base now Thrust? This rain is freezing!"

"Stop complaining Dirge! We'll head back once we find that Protectobot! Megatron will be happy to have two bargaining chips on his tray – and who will he have to thank?"

"…us?"

"Yes, us idiot!"

First Aid bit back a whimper of pain as his leg sparked once more and he cursed himself for being so [i]stupid[/i]! The seekers had caught him by surprise and he hadn't even been able to pull out his weapon in time to try and defend himself before he found himself lying on the floor of the canyon he had been gazing down into earlier, the river's roar bringing him to his senses only to find he had been badly damaged in the fall down – and that the seekers were still hunting him down like a turbofox.

Which led to his current predicament of being crammed in between two rocks as the river threatened to burst at any moment while the three mechs searched for him. He was about to give up hope on them leaving when he heard a rush of panicked words before the activating of turbines…and then silence.

He did whimper now, his visor flickering as it dimmed – why had they left? It made him nervous that three Decepticons had fled without warning and he hesitated in emerging from his refuge in case it was just a trick.

The only thing that reached his audial was the constant pour of rain, the rumble of thunder, and the roar of the bulging river for a couple minutes until he heard something different.

A voice?

Oh no, they had come back! They had been just trying to lure him out into the open…he shivered in the mud, biting his bottom lip behind his mask as he tried to make himself smaller.

"First Aid!"

Stiffening, his visor brightened at the call and the familiar voice…but no, why would he…?

"First Aid!"

The call was louder now and he slowly pushed himself up, his helm bumping the rock above him. "S-Swoop?" he squeaked out, hope flaring up in him. Again the other called for him and First Aid struggled to pull himself from the rocks he had been crammed into.

"I-I'm here! Swoop!" he cried out, the sudden thought of the other leaving sending trills of unimaginable terror through the young medic. First Aid tried to stand and wave his arms, though he didn't get anywhere close to the second step of that idea as his damaged leg gave out and he fell into the mud with a pained sound.

"Swoop! P-Please, I'm here!" he shouted, raising his arm up and he felt a much larger hand grab onto his wrist, his gaze shifting up to see the pterodactyl kneeling down in front of him and he whimpered in relief, the sight of the other a gift from Primus.

"You First Aid…" Swoop said sadly, gently bringing his arms around the damaged mech to bring him closer – and he stiffened when an explosion of sound suddenly reached them. First Aid looked and gave a shout, "S-Swoop! It's a flash flood!" he exclaimed, panic ripping through him at the sight of water crashing towards them, bursting the river and the mech growled. Swoop brought First Aid's battered and bloodied form up into his arms and stood, cradling the other close.

"You First Aid hang on!"

The usually white mech didn't have time to respond as Swoop suddenly transformed. He gave a startled sound, claws securely gripping his shoulders and he felt like he had left his tank on the ground below as Swoop's wings gusted around him and lifted them both with a bit of difficulty. The icy chill of the water below misted harshly over his frame and damaged leg, making him whine as he shuddered and clung to the pterodactyl's leg in fear of being dropped.

It was obvious Swoop was having difficult with the gushing below and the rain pounding down from above and First Aid shuddered, the thought of being plunged below and having to experience the helplessness of being taken by wild waters not at all comforting, though slowly the flyer carried them up to the edge of the canyon and promptly transformed.

A pained sound left him as he was rather dropped to the muddy ground, Swoop falling somewhere to his right and he lay still, vents cycling heavily as his systems warned him of the damage and energon loss…

"Swoop?" the medic squeaked out, shivering as lightning flashed above to light the area in an eerie glow and the Dinobot slowly rose up to his hands and knees.

"Me Swoop glad me find you First Aid, me Swoop worry."

First Aid drooped sadly as he heard the other, optics visibly dimming behind the broken visor. "I'm sorry Swoop, I wanted to try and find Blades, t-to help…" he said and cringed when thunder crashed in the sky above rather harshly and, if it was possible, more rain came slamming down onto them. The medic watched Swoop get up and move over to him and he squirmed faintly in pain when the larger mech picked him up into his strong arms.

"W-What are you doing?" First Aid asked and Swoop smiled softly, blue optics glowing in the rain.

"Me no can fly in storm, not while carry you First Aid. We find place hide for night and keep safe. You no transform, right?"

He gave a small nod and couldn't help but curl in a bit to the warmth the other gave off despite the icy rain around them. "No, my leg is too damaged, I won't be able to transform."

Swoop started walking, gaze drifting around, "Then we hide for night." He said as though that was clearly the answer. "No comm., maybe storm, maybe Decepticon reason…but me Swoop scare them seekers off and protect you First Aid."

The Protectobot shivered, trying to ignore the rain that stung at his damages and instead focus on the strange, calming voice of the other.

"T-Thank you Swoop."

[b]~*~*~*~*~*~[/b]

"What do you mean Swoop isn't here?!" Ratchet asked and Grimlock frowned, the t-rex's optics narrowing.

"Him Swoop no here! Him no be here all day!" the Dinobot roared and Wheeljack frowned, wings twitching and he glanced at his old friend.

"Swoops never lied to us before, why would he do something like this?"

Both medic apprentices were missing now and it was rather hard to keep a fact like that hidden when they were constantly assisting Ratchet in the medbay. The others didn't know yet, but they would the moment someone came in for a check-up.

Snarl gave a growl from his place in the cave, glaring a little and Wheeljack moved closer to Grimlock without a hint of hesitance. "Grimlock, this is bad – Swoop and First Aid are both missing and we need to know where they are."

This got a small shrug from the large mech, "Me no know where him Swoop and him Protectobot are! It rain, him Swoop no fly good in rain, him no be out there and him no in here."

Wheeljack glanced down the tunnel of rock, guessing Swoop couldn't be in the caves the Dinobot's had carved out into the mountain…Sludge shifted a bit from his place curled up near the opening in the back.

"Him no close enough feel, but him Swoop no hurt. Him okay. He come back, always does." The brontosaurus said and the inventor's wings twitched behind him a bit nervously. He didn't like that [i]three[/i] of his creations were now missing and with this storm, they couldn't send out any teams to try and find First Aid and Swoop…

Ratchet sighed a bit, rubbing his helm, "…well, lets hope you're right Sludge. The last thing I want is to have two anymore of our comrades go missing."

Grimlock frowned, tail swishing heavily behind him, "No more go missing! Me Grimlock go find him Swoop me self!"

Thunder rumbled and the Dinobots all scowled in unison.

"Once rain gone, me Grimlock go." The t-rex added and Wheeljack gave a small chuckle as he nodded,

"Sounds like a good plan Grimlock."


End file.
